Ladyhawke

Episode 141: Ladyhawke (1985)

Theme: Lady Movies Month
Hosts: Oz & Curtis

This week, Oz and Curtis swoop into Ladyhawke — the medieval romance-fantasy that somehow blends a knight’s tale, Wargames energy, a dash of Manimal, and the eternal spirit of Hank Hill’s beloved dog, Ladybird. It’s a movie where Matthew Broderick speaks directly to God, Rutger Hauer shapeshifts into a wolf with the commitment of a method actor, and Michelle Pfeiffer earns the award for “Most Ethereal Person Ever to Pet a Murderous Animal.” All of it is backed by a synth-rock score so bold you can practically hear Alan Parsons wearing fingerless gloves.

Join your two favorite medieval-animal-transformation scholars as they unpack:

• Why the box art looks like Ferris Bueller in a red hoodie wandered into a Renaissance Faire by accident.

• How imperious the monk manages to be both a crucial plot device and the human embodiment of a fart.

• The way Broderick narrates the entire story like he’s rehearsing Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in 12th-century Italy.

• The medieval logic that explains why every road is just The Road.

• How this cursed-lovers story sneaks in werewolf rules, hawk physics, and literal eclipse timing with complete sincerity.

From wolf-arm duels to hawk-at-dawn heartbreak, from phantom accents to fantasy-Casio soundscapes, Oz and Curtis unpack a movie that’s charming, uneven, and oddly ambitious — a perfect slice of 80s “sure, why not?” filmmaking.

Final Verdict

Oz — 6 wolf pelts
Curtis — 75 Andre Dawsons
Both — Still unsure why Navarre gets to decide whether Isabeau lives or dies, but very sure imperious should never sit near an open flame.